Indicator of telephonic fees



Oct. 3, 1961 P. LUSCHER INDICATOR OF TELEPHONIC FEES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 19, 1957 OvuH/vd'or. 1440 i J$CH I, 7 67 Afi-orm y Oct, 3, 1961 Usc R 3,002,684

INDICATOR OF TELEPHONIC FEES Filed July 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Om/wd'or: fame 105w? 3,002,684 INDICATOR F TELEPHONIC FEES Paul Liiscller, La Chan: de Fonds; Switzerland; or to Sodeco Societe des Compteurs deQeneve, Geneva, swltzerlani'afirm r FlledJuly19, 1957, Ser. No. 672,946

, Chlmsprlorlty, appllcatlolswlt rland July 21,

I 2 (Cls 2) 1.} t e} present 'invenaen sameness is satisfyj ai'wish marinasg eerexpressed since a long time lay-many subscribers lontelephone systems, tha'tof being provided au instriimnt: 'inaiesinig the fees, which instrument shouldbe of a simple and=cheap structure and is capae of eing asscciatcdwith. a; t phone tl them ent time, theisubscribers cannot asa matterof fact ascertain the fees to be paid for their calls nor can they check the invoices they receive from the telephone management at the end of each reckoning period.

The present application has for its object an instru-. ment indicating the fees to be paid and showing on the one hand the individual fees for each .call and on the other hand the total of such fees. Its casing may be designed readily so as to form a support for the portable telephone set with which it is to be associated.

This indicator includes to'this end a partial totalizer equipped with a return to zero mechanism and a general totalizer and, according to the invention, the two totalizers are simultaneously actuated in parallel by a single control member which is advantageously constitutedby an electro-magnet, this actuation of the totalizers being provided selectively through two separate mechanisms.

Accompanying drawings illustrate by way of exemplification such an indicator of fees executed in conformity with the present invention. In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of said apparatus and of the telephone set for which it serves as a support.

FIG. 2 is a perspective diagrammatic view of the apparatus without its casing.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrates the operation of the return to zero mechanism.

The indicator illustrated includes a horizontal electromagnet 10 the armature 11 of which pivots round a vertical spindle 12 against the action of a return spring 13. The movements of the armature llare transmitted to the horizontal spindle 14 through the agency of a lever arm 15 provided with a-roller 16 urged against one of the arms ofvthe armature by a spring 17.

To the spindle 14 are keyed the anchors 18a and 18b of two escape gears 20a and 20b which transmit repectively the fee. impulses to the first digit-carrying drums 19a and 19b of the two totalizing systems A and B through the agency of the toothed wheels 20a and 20b. The arm 7 15 is .fitted on the spindle 14 with an angular setting such that it stops together with the anchors 18 just before the armature 11 reaches its drawn in position, so that the vibrations to which the armature 11 may be subjected at this last moment cannot be transmitted to said spindle 14.

The digit-carrying drums of the two totalizers which revolve round the same geometrical axis 21 are driven in the conventional manner by transfer pinions 33 having the outline shown in FIG. 4. The amounts given out by the drums appear as shown in FIG. 1 through two gates 22a and 22b formed in the front plate 23a of the casing 23 of the instrument.

The return to zero mechanism of the partial totalizer is controlled by a lever 24 pivoting round its axis 25.

Said lever passes through an opening in the casing and terminates outwardly with a finger-operable key. The return to zero mechanism includes a spring 27 connecting the lever 24'with a toothed arcuate segment 28 fitted over a spindle .29 and cooperating with a similar toothed arcuate segmentv 30 keyed to the spindleSl. -To said spindle 31 are keyed the return to zero hammers 32' while the. transfer pinions '(FIGs4) are carried by a rocker 34; thelatter which is pivotally secured at' 35 includes a bent forked arm 36" meshing with a pin '37'onthe link 38 rigid with tile 'sgrnen't 28 and it His; subjected to.theaction of a springi39 holding the pinions '33 in their engagediposition. I The operation of .the' in'dicating' instrument which-has just'beendescribed is asF follows: v I When atrain of fee pulses. reaches: the electro-magnet 10,. the armature 11 rocks .-and;;itsj movementis transimitted simultaneously to thetwoyanchors 1 8; Each; digit m. the u sl? ent st-- a i inte m d at po ition nde di s .q si eu a m nt r he armatu e-a inst the action of spring 13 during which the lower tines of the anchors make the drums 19 progress by one half digit interval, after which the digit enters its final position through a further progression produced by the return movement of the armature under the action of the spring 13 during which the upper tines provide for the finishing of the movements of the drums 19.

The return to zero of the partial totalizer which is shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings is obtained as follows:

When the subscriber depresses the'key at the end of.

the lever 24,.this makes the lever 24 rotate in the direction of the arrow {1 against the action of the spring 27. During the first part of this movement, the segment 28 remains stationary because the action of said spring, which is originally stretched and the tensioning of which increases during said part of the movement of the lever 24, urges the latter into a rocking movement in a direction in which it is arrested by a stop which is not illustrated. I

When the point of attachment 41 of the spring 27 has I reached the plane defined by the axis of the spindle 29 and the point of attachment 42 at the other end of the spring, said spring 27 is in its position of maximum tensioning and the mechanism is in a condition of nonstable equilibrium. If the lever 24 is shifted beyond the position it occupies at this moment, the spring 27 expands suddenly and carries along with it the arcuate segment 28 and consequently drives the segment 30, the directions of rotation of the segments being indicated respectively by the arrows f2 and {3.

The pivotal movement of the segment 28 causes the rocker 34 to rock against the action of the spring 39 so as to release thus the pinions 33 while simultaneously the pivotal movement of the segment 30 urges the harnmers 32 against the heart-shaped cams and produce the return to zero of the totalizer.

What I claim is:

1. 'In a flat instrument adapted to carry a telephone set and to count the fee pulses and including a general totalizer and a partial totalizer arranged in coaxial relationship, the combination of an electromagnet including a winding fed with fee'pulses and the axis of which is parallel with the common axis of the totalizers, an armature controlled by the electromagnet and pivoting round and engaging the pivoting armature to be shifted angularly by the pivotal movement ofsaid armature, upon energization of the electromagnet, a spring urging said spindle into a position for which the roller engages the armature,

two arms rigid with the spindle and extending substantially in a plane passing through the totalizer axis and the electromagnet axis,;means wherethrough said arms control the operation of the totalizers, and a flat casing enclosing the totalizers and the electromagnet and carryingthe telephone set.

2. In a flat instrument adapted to carry a telephone set and to count the fee pulses and including a general totalizer and a partial totalizer arranged in coaxial relationship, the combination of an electromagnet including a winding fed with fee pulses and the axis of which is parallel with the common axis of thetotalizers, an armature controlled bythe'electromagnet and pivoting round an axis substantially perpendicular to'the totalizer axis, a spindle extending in substantial parallelism with the totalr izerv axis, a short rod radiallyrigid with the spindle,a roller revolvably carried by the outer end ofsaid rod and engagingthepivotingiarmaturetobe shiftedangularly by the pivotal movement of said armature, upon ener gization of the electromagnet, a spring-urging said spindle into a position for which the roller engages the armature, two arms rigid with the spindle and extending substantially in a plane passing through the totalizer axis and the eleetromagnet axis, nieans wherethrough said arms con- 4 l trol the operation of the totalizers, a finger-operable reset key extending substantially in last mentioned plans between the totalizers and perpendicularly to the axis of the latter, and a flat casing enclosing the totalizers and the electromagnet, provided with an opening for the passage of the key and carrying the telephone set References Cited in the file; of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,084,611 Crurnpton Jan. 20, 1914 1,135,887 Ferran et al, -,t-'-.,-; Apr. 13, 1915 2,097,151 Gleason Oct. 26, 1937 2,153,215 Torkelson Apr. 4, 1939 2,469,655 Leathers May 10,1949 2,687,088 Hennessy et'a1.' Aug. 24, 1954 2,769,596 Loosli .,Nov. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 345,702 Great Britain Apr. 2, 1931 491,281 Great Britain Aug. 30, 1938 

